1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to an integrated circuit and an operating method thereof, and more particularly to a semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A semiconductor memory device may be split into two categories, volatile memories and non-volatile memories. The volatile memory device does not retain when power is turned off, and the non-volatile memory device can retain data even in the absence of power supplies.
Flash memory is one of the non-volatile memories that can be used to store general data and configuration data in portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and notebook computers. The flash memory may be split into NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory. The NOR flash memory, which is comprised of memory cells connected in parallel, requires contacts on the bit lines and thus requires much more space, whereas the NAND flash memory, which is comprised of memory cells connected in series and do not require as many metal contacts as NOR flash memory, may enable high density and low cost. For that reason, NAND flash memory devices are being widely used in portable memory devices such as memory cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives, Solid-State Drives (SSD).